NYS Sheep and Wool Festival – Friction in Fiberland?

Miss Chip rocks Lleaping Llama at the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Festival!

Daughter and I love attending the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds every October. We bring a couple of our llamas and do PR (public relations) all weekend. We spend our days answering questions and letting the public meet our animals. We also participate in the llama/alpaca parade, and one of the highlights of the festival: THE LEAPING LLAMA CONTEST!

An acquaintance from the Barn (and great folks to be near in the barn and enjoy dinner with!) sent me the following. If you appreciate the Llama and Alpaca Barn the way it’s been as much as we have, please consider signing the petition. Contact information is included if you have questions.

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Hi Teri,

We have put together a petition for fellow exhibitors in the Llama/Alpaca Barn #27 at Rhinebeck who wish to continue to vend in the future at Rhinebeck.

Can you help us by letting your friends and fans know and possibly signing our petition located on our website: http://www.burgisbrookalpacas.com Just click on the front page icon at the bottom.

So Far…. we have posted this on the Ravelry site, and have contacted the NY Big Apple Knitting Guild… who is a big big fan of our barn! Although there are more folks to contact here… this is a good start.

All details are on the website about the events taking place along with a link to the sheep and wool who’s who page for those who wish to contact the “powers that be” directly.

Thank you in advance, and please contact me with any questions you may have.

Teri this is awful, I have been on the so-called waiting list since 2000 at Rhinebeck. In the past the only way I could vend was in the llama barn where I did a fundraiser for Northeast Llama & Alpaca Rescue.

I think it’s time to start a new festival where the New York fiber growers can actually sell their wares. The rules…. You must be a farmer in NY !

@8/Mike – I believe the contact information for the festival is at the BBA website.
The Llama/Alpaca Barn is a unique area in that there is not much vending, but the vending there is has product usually made from the actual animals on display.
There is a waiting list for vendors at the festival, it’s a big deal. The llama/alpaca people with a lot of product to sell do vend in other areas of the festival.
For us, personally, we haven’t sold anything yet. Daughter and I have toyed with the idea of selling needlefelted crafts made from fiber from our animals, but that would be minimal, in that we are not professional craft people and we would have very little product. Certainly not enough, not even sorta close, to apply to vend elsewhere. Just like a few other folks who sell yarn/roving and similar from their animals. So, even considering that for this year or in the future would be moot.
It does cost us money to go, between gas and hotel (have you priced hotels in Rhinebeck?), and we do not get paid for bringing our animals. There is no llama/alpaca show for us to compete for awards. We also have no llamas to sell or advertise, we go because we like to educate the public and have a really nice time.